Is your mother one of those soldiers?
When my daughter said that I speak Hebrew, a girl in summer camp pantomimed firing a gun and asked, “Is your mother one of them?” “Ima! There are kids up…
In Loving Memory of Tally Kritzman-Amir (May 7, 1979 – May 14, 2022)
Under different circumstances, I would have asked my wise friend Tally for advice on how to be a good friend to someone who is dying.Since I began writing this blog,…
Looking for a School that Can Handle My Kids’ Identities
My children’s cousins in the Jabalia refugee camp are fasting for Ramadan. On the other side of our family, their cousins are doing Passover cleaning. When I moved in with…
Winning a Literary Prize, Reclaiming the Hebrew Language
The Israeli Minister of Culture gave me a Hebrew literature prize. I’m grateful. And trying to reclaim Hebrew from those who use it to oppress. Hebrew is not the private…
After two years of evasion, COVID caught up with our family
We turned our lives upside down trying to evade the coronavirus. It finally arrived in a weakened form, leaving us in maddening, beautiful isolation together. A sick day Osama…
When is it OK to teach children about inequality and oppression?
Children are aware of stratification by gender and ethnicity. They notice who works in preschools, who their parents’ bosses are, and who cleans public toilets. Rereading a book from my…
In the US, Neighbors Want Our Kids to Be Seen and Not Heard
“Do you think one of the neighbors would try to hurt the children?” Osama asked, trying to decipher the societal codes that surprised us both. Children should be seen and…
Missing Ramallah, Managing Sibling Rivalry
"Ima, tell me a story about a lion that eats Adam," Forat asked me. She still feels betrayed that I gave birth to her competition. The birthday salad Forat sat…
Celebrating Indigenous People’s Day
In the four decades that passed between my U.S. grade school education and that of my daughter, Columbus Day lessons have changed, but not enough. A capital city that’s also…
Tastefully Welcoming the New Year in a New Place
We’re starting the new year not feeling very welcome in our North Carolina apartment complex, where the neighbors expect children to be unseen and unheard. Cultural Differences and Plates “She’s…